Glamour is honoring Zakia & Sharmeen at their annual ceremony for their advocacy on behalf of survivors of acid-related violence, and for their brave testimony in the academy award-winning film Saving Face. The award ceremony will be held on November 12, 2012, at New York City’s Carnegie Hall which both Zakia and Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy will be attending jointly.
Each year, the Glamour Women of the Year Award is presented to a woman or group of women working at the grassroots level to improve the lives of women and girls in their area and around the world. Acid Burn Survivor Zakia & Academy Award Winning Filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy will jointly receive the Glamour Women of the Year Award in New York on the 12th of November 2012 at New York City’s Carnegie Hall.
Glamour has chosen to honor Sharmeen & Zakia together in the hope that this honor is also shared by the many survivors of acid violence — both those who have come forward, like Zakia, and those who are unable to do so. Glamour’s goal is to help build on Zakia & Sharmeen’s collaborative work to raise awareness of the issue, and to celebrate their bravery in bringing this important issue to the world’s attention.
On being awarded her first international award and for being recognized for her advocacy on behalf of survivors of acid-related violence Zakia expressed “I am humbled to be given this honour. I hope my story instills hope in other women and gives them the courage to speak out and stand up for themselves”
In appreciation of this joint award, Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy added: “I am delighted to be sharing the award with a brave woman like Zakia- she embodies the resilient spirit of a Pakistani woman. Her determination to seek justice should be an inspiration for all”
In its sixth year, Glamour’s Women of the Year fund initiative is raising money for Project SAAVE (Stand Against Acid Violence), a campaign to stop the violence and help survivors, in which Obaid Chinoy plays an integral role. Proceeds will go towards the building and equipping of a state-of-the-art burn unit at the Mayo Hospital in Lahore, Pakistan. This is being spearheaded in partnership with the Association of Physicians of Pakistani Descent of North America (APPNA).
Glamour’s Women of the Year Awards honor the world’s most outstanding achievers; they are celebrated both in the magazine—which reaches 12 million readers—and at the high-profile annual awards ceremony. Recent honorees include Secretaries of State Hillary Clinton and Condoleezza Rice and U.S. Ambassador to the UN Susan Rice.
Acid Burn Survivor Zakia & Academy Award Winning Filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy will jointly receive the Glamour Women of the Year Award in New York on the 12th of November 2012.